I don't even know how long it's been since I wrote a blog post. I have two in draft that I haven't worked on in a while. Life has been crazy, but I think it's time for me to say something. It's going to be a therapeutic writing session, and I'm not going to go into too many details or the aftermath due to the on-going proceedings with insurance companies. I'll try to stick to basic facts.
Saturday, February 21, 2015, a little before 7:09pm I was rear-ended while stopped, waiting at a red light. I was hit with such force that all my airbags deployed, and my car went into the car in front of me. The car in front of me (Honda) went into the car in front of it (4Runner), so it was a total of four cars involved in the accident. I must have blacked-out or something, because all I remember is being stopped, looking up in my rear-view mirror, and thinking "That car is coming at me very fast." The next thing I remember is coughing from what I thought was smoke. I think it was the dust from my airbags, and it took me a bit of time to realize that's what it was or that my airbags had deployed. I called 911. I didn't talk with the girl, Nekeisha, who hit me at all. I remember thinking, "you have to take pictures. you have to take pictures." It was very hard because my hands were shaking.
My younger sister was in the accident with me. She told me that it's probably better to get off the road, because we were on the feeder of a tollway, after an event was getting out. We went into a parking lot. I started crying, shaking, and my body stopped functioning. Saryah sat next to me trying to calm me down. One of the ladies from the 4Runner got me water from one of the buildings whose parking lot we were in. One of the other ladies from the 4Runner was in front of me repeating ,"You're in shock. Just breath. Breathe. Concentrate on your breathing..."
To summarize the rest of the night: Saryah managed to get a hold of our parents. My mom came to help deal with the situation. Joshua was at a church meeting, and called as soon as he got the message that we were in an accident. He talked to Saryah and came up too. It was a crazy night, and I was taken to the hospital on a stretcher.
I was released that night and went home. The whole process of dealing with the aftermath, insurance companies, and details about my car, has been horrible. However, I would be one of the worst people if I wasn't able to look through the trauma, recognize, and be grateful for the people who have been so kind to me during this ordeal. I'm thankful for my mother, who had to put up with my crazy emotions as I yelled at her a lot that night. Joshua bought her I'm-Sorry-For-Yelling-At-You flowers on my behalf. I'm grateful for Saryah, who took care of me as I was unable to function after the accident. I'm grateful for Joshua, who came to be with me. He's been able to handle with my stress levels in the weeks since the accident, when many people cannot. I'm grateful for Greg and Steven, who showed up late at night to give me a blessing. I'm thankful for Jay, who has helped walk me through this process, and makes me feel like I'm in safe hands with him on my side. I'm grateful for Pam, who was okay with me going and looking at cars while she's supposed to be on vacation visiting me. I'm thankful for my awesome brother, who called Greg and Steven, and has helped me look at cars the past few weeks.
My car has been deemed a total loss. After much research and (literal) tears, I bought a new compact SUV, Mazda CX-5. Even though driving has become the most stress-inducing traumatic nightmare I must partake of daily, I'm glad replacing my car is over and done. One thing has been resolved, and many more are yet to come.
Saturday, February 21, 2015, a little before 7:09pm I was rear-ended while stopped, waiting at a red light. I was hit with such force that all my airbags deployed, and my car went into the car in front of me. The car in front of me (Honda) went into the car in front of it (4Runner), so it was a total of four cars involved in the accident. I must have blacked-out or something, because all I remember is being stopped, looking up in my rear-view mirror, and thinking "That car is coming at me very fast." The next thing I remember is coughing from what I thought was smoke. I think it was the dust from my airbags, and it took me a bit of time to realize that's what it was or that my airbags had deployed. I called 911. I didn't talk with the girl, Nekeisha, who hit me at all. I remember thinking, "you have to take pictures. you have to take pictures." It was very hard because my hands were shaking.
 |
| You can see the deployed airbags in this picture, with some of the rear damage. There was frame damage. |
To summarize the rest of the night: Saryah managed to get a hold of our parents. My mom came to help deal with the situation. Joshua was at a church meeting, and called as soon as he got the message that we were in an accident. He talked to Saryah and came up too. It was a crazy night, and I was taken to the hospital on a stretcher.
